


The Same River

by MauveCat



Category: Endless Summer (Visual Novel)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:54:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29687727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MauveCat/pseuds/MauveCat
Summary: During Diego's captivity, Varyyn tries to distract him.
Relationships: Diego Soto/Varyyn (Endless Summer)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	The Same River

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place between chapters 4 and 5 of "Meanwhile, The World Goes On."

Trying to act as if it was just another morning, Varyyn ascended the stairs leading to Diego’s cell. After five days of heavy rain, the sun had finally chased the clouds away early that morning. It would probably chase the fish away as well. All the same, it was a good excuse to get Diego out of the city for a few hours. Seraxa’s orders, echoing the elyyshar’s command, were very clear: the Catalyst was not to leave Elyys’tel under any circumstances. Varyyn’s plan for the day could be seen as nothing but directly disobeying both his war chief and his mother... and he did not want to think about why that thought troubled him so little.

His steps slowed as he entered the guard room and saw the cell door already standing open. Hoping that his face betrayed nothing more than mild curiosity, he turned to Anzhaal. “Where is Diego?”

Anzhaal shrugged. “The Catalyst is already gone. Uqzhaal came for him again before the sun rose.”

“Again?”

“Yes. After you left yesterday, Uqzhaal came to see Diego, and he ordered us to bring Diego to his hut.” Anzhaal rolled his eyes. “He is still convinced that Diego can unlock the mysteries of the Endless. Diego was not brought back here until late yesterday, and Uqzhaal was here before the sun rose.”

“I... see.” Varyyn pushed back a wave of guilt. He had wanted to spend more time with Diego yesterday, but his mother had summoned him; and as Paravet had pointed out, people were noticing that Varyyn spent every available moment with Diego and they were starting to gossip. “And who is guarding him while he is with Uqzhaal?”

“Laani – well, she is supposed to guard him.” Anzhaal lowered his voice. “Before she left, she told me that she planned to go on patrol as soon as the Catalyst was safely delivered. She has little patience for the teachings of the Endless, and Uqzhaal talks of nothing else. Neither of us believes that the Catalyst would harm anyone, not even Uqzhaal... but please, do not tell Seraxa we said so! I will collect Diego and bring him back as soon as my shift ends here. There is no reason that Diego should have to spend two full days putting up with the priest’s ramblings.”

The plan would need to change a little, then, but not much. “That will not be necessary,” Varyyn said. “I have no duties today, so I will see that Diego returns.” Varyyn gave Anzhaal a smile and he left the guard room before the other man thought to ask _when_ Diego would return.

When he exited the Great Tree, Varyyn walked over to where Paravet and Mauri were waiting. “Where is Diego?” Paravet asked in concern. “You said you were going to bring him with you.”

“He is with Uqzhaal today,” Varyyn told her. “I think my plan will still work, though. I simply need to think of a way to get Diego away from Uqzhaal without raising any suspicion.”

“And that means that _I_ need to find a way,” Mauri said thoughtfully as he turned and began strolling toward the priest’s dwelling.

Varyyn and Paravet fell into step with him. “That is not fair. I am sure I could think of something,” Varyyn said quietly.

“Eventually, you would,” Paravet answered in a kind voice. “But it took you three days to decide on _this_ plan so we will let Mauri do what he does best: confuse people.”

“I am good at a few other things, but I will not disagree with you,” Mauri replied with a grin. “We are lucky that Uqzhaal does not like to live too near anyone else. That will make it easier for the two of you to slip out of Elyys’tel unseen. We need to give Uqzhaal something else to think about, maybe something that will... wait. I have an idea.” He nodded slowly. “Seraxa has taken warriors to search the Hydra’s fortress again. If we make Uqzhaal believe...yes, that will work very well.” With a final decisive nod, he looked at Paravet. “All right, my love. Your part of the plan will remain unchanged. While you patrol the north and east boundaries of the city, watch for anyone who seems to be searching for Varyyn and Diego. Say that they are in the southern part of Elyys’tel. Once Uqzhaal is on his way, I will resume my patrol of the south and I will send any searchers either to the beach or to the west side of the city. If luck is with us, Varyyn and Diego will be back in Elyys’tel before anyone realizes that we are sending Diego’s usual guards in circles.”

“And what am I supposed to do when we talk to Uqzhaal?”

Mauri patted Varyyn’s shoulder. “Just stay behind me, keep quiet, and try to look bored. You are a very bad liar, my friend, and you will give everything away without meaning to.”

Varyyn frowned, but before he could do more than open his mouth to disagree, Paravet kissed him on his cheek. “Hush. We all know it is true. I wish you luck,” she said as she took the path leading to the north.

A short time later, Varyyn and Mauri arrived at Uqzhaal’s hut on the outskirts of Elyys’tel. Varyyn raised his hand to rap on the doorframe, but he stopped when he heard the shaman’s voice. “As you can see from this drawing, Canis, it all leads back to the Endless. You can trust me with your knowledge. You have no need to keep it a secret from me, of all people.” Varyyn frowned; he was well acquainted with the veiled irritation in the old man’s voice. He’d heard it often enough as a child, when Uqzhaal realized that Varyyn’s attention had wandered from his lessons yet again. “It is your destiny to reveal the hidden idols to me – and to all the Vaanti, of course.”

“I keep telling you that I don’t know anything about these idols, and if any of my friends ever met this Endless person, they never mentioned him. I know that I never heard of him.” If Uqzhaal’s voice betrayed his frustration, Diego’s words were equally tense, almost... trapped.

With a quick warning glance at Varyyn, Mauri pushed the door open without knocking. As he entered, he said breezily, “I thought I heard your voice, Uqzhaal. I am surprised – did you decide against going to the fortress with Seraxa?” It took all of Varyyn’s willpower to keep from reacting to the relief that flooded Diego’s face; instead, he leaned against the wall and did his best to follow Mauri’s directions.

“The fortress?” Using his walking stick for balance, Uqzhaal levered himself out of his chair. “Why would our war chief want me to accompany her there?”

His expression mystified, Mauri shrugged. “I do not know. I overheard Laani telling Fedra… or was it the other way around? I know that I heard someone saying something… oh, well, I suppose it does not matter who I heard it from. I admit that I was surprised to hear that you have not yet searched the rooms underneath the Hydra’s fortress for any symbols of the Catalysts.”

“Well, of course I….” Uqzhaal trailed off. “The rooms… _underneath_ the fortress?” He turned to Diego. “You never told me of these rooms, Canis.”

“Because I never went down there,” Diego replied after exchanging a quick look with Mauri. “None of us had a chance to explore much of the hotel.”

“Hmmm. Well… I suppose that is true. When did Seraxa and her warriors leave Elyys’tel?”

Mauri tapped his chin, as if he was thinking. “I believe they left only a short time ago. I am not sure if you can catch up to them, but if you leave now, you will not be far behind.”

“Good, good.” Leaning his stick against the wall, Uqzhaal began tossing items in a bag. “Very well, Canis. We will go to the fortress, and I am sure we will find something there to show us the purpose behind your presence among us.”

Diego looked at Varyyn with dismay and, without thinking, Varyyn exclaimed, “No!” Faced with Uqzhaal’s curiosity and Mauri’s exasperation, he went on weakly, “My… the elyyshar has given orders that Diego is not allowed to leave Elyys’tel without her approval.”

Mauri nodded with elaborate regret. “That is so. She _did_ give those orders. And since your mother has gone to settle a dispute between two mountain villages – I think it is about who has the right to hunt near the Hydra’s northern house, right, Varyyn?” Without waiting for an answer, Mauri turned back to Uqzhaal with a sympathetic sigh. “I am afraid you will have to wait until Elyyshar Ximaedra returns tomorrow. It will be all right, though. I am sure that Seraxa will tell you about anything that she might find at the fortress.”

“Seraxa….” Uqzhaal’s expression soured as he grabbed his walking stick. “I… believe that I will go to the fortress alone, then. If I find anything of interest, the elyyshar will surely give her permission for Canis to accompany me on a future visit.”

“I am sure she will,” Mauri said smoothly. “I am just leaving for my patrol shift in the southern part of Elyys’tel, so I will go with you to the edge of the city, Uqzhaal.” Mauri held the door open for the old man; once Uqzhaal was through the doorway, he leaned back and grinned at Varyyn. Lowering his voice, he said, “Congratulations, my friend. I believe that is the closest you have come to a convincing lie in your entire life.” He turned to Diego. “Enjoy your fishing.”

“Enjoy my… what?” Diego looked at Varyyn in confusion. “I appreciate the rescue, but what’s he talking about?”

“Shhh.” Varyyn poked his head outside and looked around carefully. Relieved that there was no one else around, he beckoned to Diego. “Follow me, and remain silent. We are going fishing.”

“We’re going…? Oh. Okay.” Diego still seemed bewildered, but he followed close behind as Varyyn led the way to the edge of the city. Once they had walked for a few minutes and Varyyn seemed to relax, Diego spoke softly. “Weren’t you the one who said I wasn’t supposed to leave Elyys’tel? Because correct me if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Varyyn shrugged and he tried to sound confident. “We are not going very far from the city,” he said, “and the rain has kept us all inside for several days. I… I know that you are supposed to continue teaching us your language, but I thought there would be no harm in going one more day without lessons.”

“I won’t fight you on that.” Diego looked around the narrow path they were on. “I’m not saying that I want to call him back, but are you sure it’s a good idea to send Uqzhaal all that way for nothing?”

“It is not for nothing. I do not believe there is anything in the lower rooms that would interest him, but he will want to see for himself – especially if he fears that Seraxa will try to hide something from him. Besides, he has been to the top of the volcano twice in the past ten days. He is more than capable of the journey.”

“I guess. But what’s going to happen if anyone finds out that I’m gone? I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

Varyyn did his best to look unconcerned. “It is rare for Seraxa and my mother to both be away from Elyys’tel at the same time. Some warriors have gone with the elyyshar, and some with Seraxa, and many people in the city are catching up with work we missed because of the rain. I thought that the change in our routine would make it possible to slip away for a few hours. Paravet and Mauri will do their best to keep anyone from realizing that they cannot find us.”

“Remind me to thank them,” Diego said absently. His steps slowed as he took in his surroundings and Varyyn adjusted his pace to stay by his side. Brushing his hand against a nearby bush, Diego watched the last remaining raindrops scatter to the ground. His voice hushed and a little sad, he murmured, “I think this is the first time in a while that I’ve been able to just stop and look at something.”

“I... am sorry.”

Diego nodded and turned back toward the path. “It’s not your fault.” When Varyyn sighed in response, Diego looked up at him and spoke more firmly. “It’s not your fault.”

Rather than replying to that, Varyyn stopped. “This is where we leave the path.” Pushing aside a few branches, he ushered Diego through the opening he created. “The river is very close, so follow me. Be careful – the ground is a little... high and low? What is the word for this?”

“Uneven. Yeah, I see.” Varyyn kept a close eye on the smaller man, but Diego seemed to navigate the terrain well enough. “So what are we fishing for?”

“... Fish?”

Diego laughed at the uncertainty in Varyyn’s voice. “You can tell me the names of whatever we catch. If we catch anything.”

“I usually catch something, but... well, I do not think we will be very lucky today. It is better to fish very early in the morning and besides, now that the rain has stopped, the fish are not as hungry.””

“It sounds like you know a lot about it.”

Varyyn grinned. “I suppose I do. My grandfather loved to fish. He taught me how. I remember... we went fishing just a few days before he died,” he finished softly.

After a few moments, Diego said, “I’m sorry. If you don’t want to talk about him, I understand.”

“No, it is all right.” Varyyn smiled at the memory. “It was a day much like this... he and I went out in a little boat, just the two of us. We did not catch anything that day, but he did not act as if that bothered him. I think... I think perhaps he knew that his life was ending. He was very old and his heart was weak, even if I was not aware of that.”

“And he wanted to make sure that he spent some time with you... you were lucky.” Diego took a deep breath and pointed. “I’m not an expert, but that sure looks like a river to me.”

“It is.” Varyyn looked around as they emerged onto the riverbank. “I left a... stick? ... right here,” he said as he walked over to a nearby tree.

Diego followed him. “It’s called a fishing pole. Do you have one next to every river?”

Laughing, Varyyn took a coil of line from his waist pouch and attached it to the end of the pole. “No, but perhaps I should – it is a good idea. When the skies seemed to be clearing early this morning, I came here and left it. I did not want to be seen carrying it just before I left Elyys’tel.” He sat down on a rock by the river’s edge and extended a hand to Diego. “Come, join me. I am sorry that I did not think to bring another fishing pole.”

“Nah, that’s okay – I don’t know how to fish anyway.” As he sat down at Varyyn’s side, Diego asked, “So how long have you been planning this?”

Varyyn felt his face grow a little warm, and he looked away to turn over a small rock to find something to put on his hook. “Not long. But I know that it has been several days since you have been able to go outside.” Rather than looking at Diego, he kept his eyes on the sharp bone hook as he threaded an insect onto it. “Last week you told me the name of your city, and... I thought you might like seeing a river again.”

Diego chuckled. “Riverside – I’m surprised you remembered. Well, the Santa Ana – that’s the name of the river where I live – isn’t much like this... but yeah. I like this river.” Removing his shoes, he let the cool, clear water run over his bare feet.

“Is your river nothing like mine, then?” Varyyn carefully lowered his hook to the water’s surface and watched it sink.

Diego smiled a little. “Not really. Well, at least the part I lived close to isn’t much like this. It’s a lot wider and slower, and the water is usually kind of brown. It gets low in the summer.” He looked up at the thick canopy of leaves. “We don’t have trees anything like this, either. There are some, but they’re smaller and further apart. Riverside is basically in the desert.”

Varyyn frowned. “I do not know this word.”

“Well... a desert is a place that’s really dry, and where it doesn’t rain often. Remember how I told you that we have seasons, and the weather changes month by month?” Diego waited for Varyyn’s nod before he went on. “We get a little more rain in the winter, but summers are really dry where I live – it gets so dry that fires spread fast so everyone has to be careful. Some years we’re lucky if it rains more than one day in a month. Even when it does rain, it’s usually not very much.”

“Really?” Varyyn tried, without much success, to imagine living in such a place. “It rains much more often here.”

Diego flashed him a quick smile. “I’ve noticed.”

Looking back at the river, Varyyn checked his fishing pole. Nothing. He asked, “Are all rivers flat and brown in your world?”

“Oh, no. In fact, the Santa Ana isn’t entirely flat and brown either – when I was twelve years old, my class took a trip west to see where the river came out of the mountains. It looked a lot like this, actually – it was narrower, and there were trees all around, and the water was much faster. I liked it. It was really quiet, except for the birds. Just like here. It was... peaceful.”

Diego spoke as if peace was something unfamiliar to him, and Varyyn swallowed his impulse to enquire further. Diego seldom spoke of his life or his family. At first, Varyyn had believed that Diego’s reticence was due to his situation among the Vaanti. It was unwise for a captive to reveal anything he did not need to, and Diego was anything but unwise. Recently, however, Varyyn had come to suspect that the reasons for Diego’s silence were based less in caution than in pain. And the thought that Diego’s family could possibly cause him pain... that troubled Varyyn.

To fill the silence, Varyyn said, “I am sorry that I did not come for you sooner this morning. I heard a little of your conversation with Uqzhaal.”

Diego snorted. “You showed up when it counted, at least.” He sighed. “Just once, I’d like him to call me by my actual name. He thinks that I’m keeping something from him, but I’m really not. I have no idea what this Endless thing is all about. He’s starting to get frustrated about it, and I think….” He trailed off uncertainly.

After a few moments had gone by, Varyyn said, “You do not have to tell me anything you do not wish to say. But… if you _do_ wish to say something, I promise that I will not repeat it to anyone.”

Letting out a long breath, Diego frowned at the water. “Uqzhaal… I’ve met people like him before. I think he’s really proud that he never gets angry, and that everyone sees him as calm. But underneath, he’s _very_ angry, a lot angrier than even he realizes. He’s angry that Seraxa doesn’t respect him like your mother does, and he’s angry that not all of the Vaanti share his beliefs, and… he’s angry that I don’t know what he wants from me. He can’t really do anything about Seraxa or the other Vaanti.” He shrugged. “That leaves me. Once all that anger gets too big to keep hold of, it’s going to go somewhere, and I’ll probably be the safest target for him.”

“He will not hurt you!” Varyyn’s grip tightened around his fishing pole. “I will not allow –”

“I’m not saying it’s going to come to that anytime soon,” Diego said. “And _you’re_ not going to do anything to get in trouble with the rest of the Vaanti. I’m not going to let that happen.” Varyyn blinked at the sudden determination in the other man’s voice. Leaning back on his hands, Diego looked away from Varyyn and when he spoke, his voice was once again subdued. “I… have experience dealing with angry people. I’ll know if Uqzhaal ever gets mad enough to actually do something about it. If he does, then I’ll tell you about it.” Looking up at a nearby tree, Diego pointed at a bird painstakingly preening its long green and yellow feathers. “I’ve never seen one of those before. What’s it called?”

With an effort, Varyyn set aside his fear and unease for Diego. “That is a haakwil. They are more common on the coastline – it is rare to see one so far inland.”

“Huh.” Diego smiled, almost to himself. “He doesn’t look too unhappy, being away from his home.”

“No, he… ah!” Varyyn grinned as his fishing pole jerked in his hands. “Perhaps we will be lucky today after all.” His face fell as the line suddenly went slack; he pulled the empty hook out of the water and said, “It seems that the fish are smarter than I am today.”

At his side, Diego laughed, and Varyyn felt his spirits lift as well. “No reason you can’t try again, right? There seem to be plenty of bugs around that you can use for bait.”

“Bait?”

“Yeah. Bait is something you use to catch something else. So….” Diego carefully picked up a shiny black beetle and held it out to Varyyn. “Will this work?”

Varyyn shook his head as he peered at the damp ground nearby. “Oh, no. They taste very bad.”

“You know what it tastes like?” Raising his eyebrows as he gently placed the beetle back on the ground, Diego said, “I’m assuming there’s a story behind that.”

With a shrug, Varyyn placed a worm on his hook. “I was about Taari’s age, and Noro dared me to eat one. I do not want to make the fish suffer as I did.” Diego’s burst of delighted laughter warmed Varyyn’s heart, and he decided that whatever else might happen in the future, this day was going to be a favorite memory.

_No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man. – Heraclitus_


End file.
